Traditionally, sanitary connectors used in fluid handling systems and storage devices, such as pipes and bottles, are four-piece connectors. The most common such connector includes a resilient O-ring retained between two metal flanges. Each metal flange typically includes an annular ring within which outwardly protruding ribs on each side of the O-ring are compressed. A clamp secures the flanges and provides the force required to compress the protruding ribs into the annular flanges and seal the connection. The groove-bearing flanges are machined from metal and may then be brazed, bonded, welded, soldered, or otherwise attached to tubular members. The O-ring is formed from a resilient material that compresses to fit within the aligned grooves when pressure is applied to the flanges.
While this four-part design has continued to be used to provide a sealed connection between adjoining pipes and to seal storage devices, the machined metal components add both cost and weight to the fluid handling device or storage container. Additionally, the labor required to assemble the connector includes assembling four pieces to ensure the connection is sealed.
To reduce the labor component of assembling sanitary connectors to a fluid handling device or storage container, it would be an improvement to the art to have a connector with fewer pieces to assemble. Fewer parts results in less assembly time, lower labor costs, and improved quality.
To reduce the weight of fluid handling devices and storage containers that include sanitary connectors, it would be a further improvement to the art to provide a connector that may have one or both flanges formed from a material that weighs less than the traditional machined flanges.
To reduce the cost associated with the producing machined and welded connector components, it would be an improvement to the art to have a connector that may be formed from a molding process. Despite this need, there exists an absence of devices designed to address the above noted desired improvements.